Appeal to Galway City customers to conserve water where possible renewed

Information below is relevant until further updates are provided here or on our Supply and Service Updates section

Uisce Éireann is renewing its appeal to customers in Galway City to conserve water where possible over the coming days, as high demand continues to place supplies of treated water under strain.

Owing to high demand in the ongoing dry spell, treated water supplies in areas to the west of the city may experience disruption over the coming days.

In particular, Uisce Éireann customers in Bearna, Maigh Cuillin and Knocknacarra may experience low pressure or other disruptions to their supply.

Teresa Burke of Uisce Éireann again appealed to customers to limit their water usage to essential needs where possible over the coming days in order to protect supplies of treated water for themselves and their communities.

“The ongoing dry spell continues to place severe pressure on our ability to produce treated water to meet increased levels of demand,” said Teresa.

“We are making every effort to ensure continuous supply for homes, businesses and essential services, and we would again appeal to our customers to be mindful of their water usage in the coming days.

“We understand the inconvenience of water outages and other supply disruptions, and we thank customers for their understanding as we manage our treated water supplies."

Customers are encouraged to be alert to signs of leaks on their property, such as persistent damp patches on lawns or driveways. Uisce Éireann’s First Fix Free scheme provides a free repair for qualifying underground leaks on private property once identified. To report leaks on the public water network, customers can contact Uisce Éireann’s 24/7 helpdesk at 1800 278 278 or visit our Report a Leak page.

Below are some simple water-saving tips everyone can follow, to help protect supplies:   

• Leak free: Check that your home is leak free. Check for running overflows and fix any dripping taps, cisterns or pipes.
• Don’t let the tap run: Brushing your teeth with the tap running can use up to a staggering 6 litres per minute. Brushing your teeth with the tap off will use a more modest 1 litre of water.
• Shower vs. Bath: The average bath uses 80 litres of water, while a 7-minute shower uses just 49 litres. Switching to showers can save a significant amount of water.
• Drop the hose: Drop the hose during the summer months. Use a rose head watering can to water your plants, instead of a hose or sprinkler.
• Install a water butt: Use it to collect rainwater from your gutters for gardening or washing the yard.
• Drinking troughs: On the farm, watch out for overflowing drinking troughs as they can waste significant amounts of water. Adjust the ball valves to lower the float or replace faulty parts.
• Fully loaded: Always ensure your dishwasher and washing machines are fully loaded. A modern washing machine uses approximately 65 litres of water per cycle while a dishwasher uses 20 litres. By ensuring they are fully loaded, not only will you conserve water, but you will also reduce
• Don’t flush it all away: A third of all water used in the home is flushed down the toilet. Some larger cisterns can continue to work effectively with a smaller flush. Place a displacement device into the cistern (out of the way of moving parts) to save water.

To access the water conservation calculator or find out more about water conservation tips, visit the Conservation section of our website.